Mexico’s Yucutan Peninsula holds some incredible secrets, both above the earth’s surface and below it. The mysterious ancients who lived there millennia ago were bound to the land, heart and soul. When you dive the Cenotes, which lead into massive underwater caverns, you may very well feel a sense of connection to these ancients, who drew fresh water from the layer above the halocline, where the ocean’s salt water mingles with the fresh water from above. Let’s explore three of the most incredible underwater caverns in the world – the Taj Mahal, the Temple of Doom, and Gran Cenote.
Taj Mahal
Located just a little more than five kilometers to the south of Puerto Adventuras, Taj Mahal is easy to find. Once you arrive, you will enter the cenote via a set of stairs that descend to a central island, where you can enter the water, and choose a direction. The main passageway here is denoted by a permanent gold line, and leads over piles of massive boulders to Cenote Vista Bonita.
Once at Vista Bonita, you can follow the line to the cavern tour, which is shaped like a figure eight, and which starts to the left of the stairs here. The first chamber is called Points of Light, and it is massive. Keep following the line, and in a moment you will be at the Sugar Bowl, which is another circular cenote with a thirty foot ceiling that opens up to the jungle. A green-tinged sunbeam shines directly into the water, forming an underwater column of light that is pure magic.
Continue your tour to the right, and you will be back in the Points of Light Chamber, where you will once again pass the massive stalactites that descend from the ceiling above, and see the three shafts of light for which this chamber is named. The best time to see this phenomenon at Cenote Tajmahal is at mid-day, so try to plan your trip accordingly!
The Temple of Doom
Unlike some of Mexico’s other prominent cenote dives, the Temple of Doom requires some serious chutzpah. This is not a dive for the uninitiated, and it is best to hire a local guide to go in with you, as there are no real facilities to speak of yet, although they are planned. Perhaps this is partially why The Temple of Doom is such a great adventure dive!
Before you start, buy a map from a local dive center and take the time to go over it thoroughly. Make sure your gear is in great working order and secure yourself for cave diving. The passageways here are well known and so long as you stick to large passages, you will enjoy yourself mightily. This being said, getting into the water is a challenge. You will take the trail to Cenote Esqueleto (Temple of Doom) that leads from the parking area, and look down into the water, which is about ten feet from the ledge you are standing on. Look for the ladder that leans against the edge – unless it has been replaced, it is a rickety old thing. Make sure it feels sturdy, because unless you can fly, this is the only way out of the cenote.
Ready? Jump off the ledge, and you’ll be floating in the greenish fresh water above the breakdown pile. Descend and circle the area to get your bearings. You will see a line leading to the cavern tour line, which can be followed either to the right, or to the left.
The chambers here are known as the canyons and Madonna passage, both of which lead the way into the central Coliseum room, the hall of giants, or the old Florida room. From these chambers, there are many tunnels leading off into the distance. Use your best judgment and remember not to be lured outside the boundaries of your training and experience here. The stalagmites rising from the cavern floor look like miniature temple spires, and stalactites descending from the ceiling are equally magnificent.
Maximum depth at The Temple of Doom is about sixty feet, and there are many areas where the water is shallower. Once you have completed your dive, you can exit via the ladder. An exquisite dive, and a definite reason to build up your competence level!
Gran Cenote
Also known as Sac Aktun, Gran Cenote is located to the west of Tulum by about four kilometers. The area is marked with a large sign, and the parking area is monitored. You will need to pay a small fee to enter the area, and then walk to the edge of the cenote, where a set of stairs and a dock provide for easy entrance and exit. Here, depths do not exceed forty feet, and there is no halocline. There are wonderful features, however, everywhere you look.
If you swim to the right, along the gold line that extends around the main cavern’s circumference, you will see the beginning of the permanent cave line. The main line connects to Cenote Ho-Tul, where it ends. However, you may be able to continue by running a reel across the 120 foot Cenote Ho-Tul cavern, then connecting to the Cuzan Nah loop line.
If you swim to the left while in the main cavern, you will come to the Paso Lagarto line. This leads upstream and into the further reaches of the cave. If you want to explore further, you can hire a guide to take you to Cenote Calimba. This is a great trip for advanced cave divers – you’ll be taken to Cenote Calimba, where you will enter the water and then swim the underground traverse all the way back to Gran Cenote.
Be sure to hire a guide if you are not a proficient cave diver with plenty of experience following lines and reading maps. Not only will you enjoy a safer dive, you will probably be able to see things you might miss if you attempt this dive without a local guide.